


Endings and Beginnings

by Watermel0nBob



Series: Endings and Beginnings [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2018-10-12 00:57:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10478472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Watermel0nBob/pseuds/Watermel0nBob
Summary: Your name is Jade Stuart, a girl raised by two free-spirited hippies who now travel the country while you tend to their farm. You have always been different, but it never bothered you the way it would most. You posses some interesting talents, and it causes most to shy away from you. However, when you somehow predict the coming of Monsters, you're under the sharp scrutiny of the Underground's Judge; Sans. Forced to tolerate you to keep relations between humans and monsters good, he must go through many wacky adventures with you and the gang as they explore the surface with your guidance.





	1. The Premonition

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So for those who may or may not have read my Papyrus fic, please know that I will be continuing that at some point. Though for now I am putting a hold on it so that I can sort out what I would like to be carried out. During my hiatus, I've been reading way too much Sans fanfiction. Thus began this story! I came up with this concept after finishing one of many fics, and really wanted to roll with it. I've been writing these chapters for about five months now, which includes me just not writing consistently and also taking time to make sure everything is smooth. I'm going to be trickling my chapters out so that I have time to keep writing without leaving you guys hanging (too much), so I hope that you enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
> Any critique or comments are appreciated, as I would like to better my writing! I hope you all enjoy, and I hope to hear from you soon!

People always thought you were strange, but instead of shying away or feeling rejected, you embraced it with such joy that it became a part of who you were. When you left your risque or abstract street art for others to see in the busy parts of downtown Ebbot, or when you would catch yourself snorting at something no one else found to be funny. You believed in magic and dragons and unicorns, while everyone else believed in the science of evolution and that the world was flat (figuratively anyway). You thought of them as close-minded why they thought of you as a circus act, but that didn't mean you didn't have friends. One of them was with you now, studying your sketch over your shoulder with quiet interest, though not interrupting your concentration. He always knew how much you hated that.

He wasn't as eccentric as you were, but he still held a depth of nerdiness that drew you two together and made you hold close to each other like two lost souls caught in a storm. His soul was blue, filled with light and pulsed cheerfully whenever you were around, but you always wondered what made it so dim otherwise. Although you guys had known each other for a few years, James had chosen to be distant, and you let him be. You couldn't make someone trust you after all. In a way he did, but until he was ready to shed that hurt, and to heal those scuffs nearly everyone had on their soul, you would have to wait until then. 

"What creature are you making now Jade?" Came his deep rumble, grey eyes watching patiently as you continued with your very detailed sketch. You abruptly shook your head, dismissing him with a wave of your non-dominant hand as you mused in response,"No, not making anything up. He's real. Just haven't met him yet." James laughed, patting your shoulder in that condescending way he often did when you rambled on in your musings, before leaning closer to your side and smirking,"He?" 

"Yes. He." 

"Oh, okay then. What's his name then? What does he do? Is he a magical skeleton?" 

Before you could stop yourself you're giggling, giving him a playful glare before shoving him aside and continuing to iron out the details as you spoke,"I mean it! I don't know his name but, yes. He's powerful, very much so. He just doesn't show it though, and... he's sad. Very, very sad, James. When I meet him I'm going to tell him that this world isn't so bad." He was watching you now with that same amused smile, though behind those dark eyes you could see a flicker of sadness, of resignation as he let you finish. With a huff of contentment you grinned, blowing away the left over lead dust before taking your masterpiece in. The lines were a little off, wiggly here and there, but you were going to blame that on James for interrupting. He never believed you when you said you knew these creatures; these, monsters, existed. Even though sometimes you didn't believe it yourself; this time you were certain. This one was different. If only you knew just how much, as you dusted away the final pieces and studied your little short skeleton man, his left eye flaring with magic and a dark hoodie hugging his broad frame. 

\------------ 

Two weeks later and you were still gloating to James about how right you were. Turned out your drawings had all been true, having seen every single identical one in real life as the news cameras filmed the monsters mingling beneath the massive mountain that was Mt Ebbot. You were enraptured, studying what you could for hours on end, before proceeding to call your friend on the phone and squeal rather loudly much to his distaste. He would have to suck it up because you were right and it felt so satisfying. He was so shocked that he couldn't really respond to you. It was only when you finally suggested visiting their settlements to officially welcome them to the real world again, did he seemed apprehensive. 

"What if they aren't friendly Jade? You can't just go waltz up to a bunch of monsters like they're stray kittens." 

"Oh nonsense! You know kittens can be very dangerous creatures. Their teeth and claws are as sharp as ever when they're young!" 

"That's not my point Jade!" 

"Well what is your point James? They need to know not everyone around here are assholes," you argued, lips turning into a pursed pout as you crossed your arms and tapped your foot impatiently. Whether or not he agreed, you were going, and you were bringing the happy, chibi shaped cookies that you had been slaving over all weekend. He was not going to ruin this for you, not when you found out the monsters you were dreaming about were actually real, and they had been trapped underneath the ground for hundreds of years! One doesn't just take that all in stride and call it a day! He was giving you a hard look now, his own dark lips pursed to match yours before huffing and shrugging his shoulders, because he knew that he wasn't going to win with you. Not when you were so set on something. So reluctantly, he helped you pack the cookies and your artwork, before hauling off in your little beat up Subaru and heading to Mt. Ebbot.


	2. The Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the second chapter! I figure I would give you guys two just so that you had something to go on before I waited. I'm thinking of posting every Tuesday at least, but if I get more demand I'll increase my postings to two days a week! Enjoy and don't be afraid to comment your thoughts, questions, or emotional outbursts!

He didn't like the way the humans would gawk at them like they were some sort of attraction. How they would take pictures and their children would tug at their parents' sleeves and point eagerly, as if wanting to go on a ride and not staring at another living being. The whole thing wanted to make him teleport and hide away from their prying eyes. He didn't think he could ever get used to such commotion. The news people had come first, surrounding them and bombarding the first small group of monsters to the surface like they were just pieces of flesh up for auction. He had to restrain himself from attacking when Frisk had insisted they were just curious, not going to hurt them. He only hoped they were right. So when the army and their big truck came after, herding away anyone that wasn't wearing a green uniform, Sans was compliant, like King Asgore wanted them all to be, even though he hated the way they regarded them all with distrust in their eyes.

It had taken two weeks to convince them to let the monsters start settling and establishing this as their new home. Mountaintown is what Asgore decided to call it, due to their close proximity to the side of the volcanic mountain they had been trapped beneath for so long. So long that Sans didn't even know what real stars looked like, but he realized the ones in Waterfall could never compare. He would stare for hours through his telescope, tracing the patterns in what they called constellations, Frisk always helping him figure out their names once discovered. They had become rather involved with his habits of stargazing, and whether it was because they had missed the sky so much in the Underground or because they felt a need to keep close to him. Even when he knew Frisk couldn't ever remember, he knew they still sensed something, an unspoken agreement between the two. Instead of scaring the determined child off it had made them cling closer to him. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

He also wasn't sure how he felt about the government's decision to finally let humans interact with them. It had only been two days, but those two days had been hell on a lot of the monsters that were so used to quiet isolation. This world was so big, so new, that some of them had even gone back beneath the surface where they were used to their everyday routine. At least now they had options. These buzzing crowds gathering around the vendor tents, screaming children and constant questioning whispers behind his back like they didn't think he was hearing was grating on him. He was about to reach his breaking point, ready to boil over and just lose it when-

"Look! There he is!"

He abruptly lifted his head to see two humans looking at him, one male and looking rather shocked, the other being you, hair a brilliantly bright red that was shaved close to your head, and your eyes were just the palest shade of green. Two colors he had never seen in his life until now. You were grinning at him, speckles framing your pale nose as you came running forward, and before he could stop himself he was flinching, preparing to shy away from the flash of a camera. He was surprised to find nothing, no stars in his pinpricks from the brightness, and when he finally opened his sockets he found you there again, standing a foot away with a container of something stretched out before him. Blinking, he slowly looked down into the box to find pleasantly shaped treats, little cats and teddy bears with black beady eyes and little loops for smiles. He couldn't help but suddenly think of Alphys when looking at them.

You were waiting expectantly, your eyes full of hope and your smile so wide he wondered if you were mimicking his own perpetual grin. He didn't know what to think of this situation, only slowly stare down at the cookies and back at your face, finally mustering up the courage to speak,"what're these for?"

"A welcome gift! To welcome you guys back! It's not like you wanted to be down there after all," you chimed, and it took everything in his power to not let his jaw drop at your statement. Just who the hell were you? You closed the top of the container, assuming he wasn't going to take one and instead offering your slender hand, that smile refusing to be wiped from your face as you continued,"My name is Jade. Jade Stuart. It's a pleasure to finally meet you! I've been waiting a long while after all." What the hell was that supposed to mean? Was this some kind of joke? Were you implying that he was some kind of anticipated attraction that you had been waiting for weeks to finally come see? Was he nothing but an object to you? He could feel his anger and resentment begin to return though his express remained grinning.

"look, pal, i-"

"I know it must have hurt you a lot to be down there. That's why you hurt right? I promise this world really isn't as bad when you take the time to see it," you're speaking again, eyes full of earnest sincerity, but to him it looked condescending. He was losing his patience, the grin on his complexion only growing more strained as you stepped forward to get closer, making him realize he was exactly your height. Your eyes were filled with something he couldn't figure out, but before he could do much of anything you were resting your hand on his shoulder,"I wanted to come see you because I've got something-"

" **get your hand off of me** ," his pinpricks were no longer present, nothing but the dark void of his sockets, before lifting you into the air abruptly in a cyan glow and throwing you back into the man you were previously with. He stalked towards you once releasing you from his grasp, eye flaring with an intense blue with yellow crackling beneath. He had lost control but he didn't care, because who the fuck were you to assume what he was feeling; who he was? You didn't know anything about him or his life or what happened in that hell that was the Underground. He expected to see fear, to hear you scream and try to run away, but what he was caught off guard by was the sad look in your expression. You weren't scared at all, in fact, as your Soul delicately floated before you, glowing a brilliantly bright orange, you stood and faced him with that same sad expression.

"I didn't think I would be the one to cause that hurt," you sighed, brushing off your dark jeans before slowly turning to your shocked companion, and slowly grabbing something from his hands. A few stray monsters had gathered, but all the humans had scattered as soon as they saw one of the monsters attack. The military police were pushing their way past the crowd, ready to break apart something bad, but remained at bay as you simply walked closer to him and slowly offered him a face down canvas. He took it instinctively, body working on motions before he slowly flipped it over to see a mirror image of himself in the same stance he had just been standing in earlier. Down in the bottom right hand corner was your name in messy script, a hasty artist signature, but it was the date below it that caught his attention. You had drawn this nearly a month before they had come to the surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh snap what? How'd that happen??? You'll have to wait next week to find out folks ;D


	3. The Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I'm late guys! I was so busy with work that I entirely forgot about this! Because of my awfulness I will give you two chapters this time around! :3

You somehow convinced the police to let him go. It took hours of questioning you and the skeleton man, but you had pleaded and insisted that you had aggravated him first, that it was an accident. You had startled him after all. They had been so reluctant to believe you, worried you feared for your life, but the determined expression in your eyes was enough for them to finally relent. You did not press any charges against him, and you felt it unnecessary to have him be banned from the more public areas. You were surprised they even listened to you, but you couldn't even stand to think that they would try and restrict these poor people even more than they had been just because of something you did. How was that even logical? If anything you should be banned from Mountaintown. Yet they let you visit again a week later once things seemed to settle down on both ends.

James had tried to convince you to never go back, that he had nearly killed you and clearly could have. You had been right in the assumption that he was powerful, and it seemed that James was remembering that as well. He was still spooked about the fact that you had actually drawn a picture of a real monster a month before anyone even knew they existed, and now that he realized your crazy musings were no longer that far fetched, he was a lot more on edge. Much clingier than he had ever been. You didn't know if you were okay with this new side of him or not. After much argument and you blatantly ignoring anything he had to say, he finally begged you to at least let him come with again to make sure you stayed safe. You chose not to mention that he hadn't done much the last time you were thrown around like a ragdoll. Pick and choose your battles Jade. 

The news had been trying to get a hold of you for days, wanting to know how you felt after your traumatic ordeal. What was it like to have such a scary monster want to kill you? Did you want them back in the Underground? Why didn't you press charges? When you continuously denied any interviews offered they resorted to simply stalking you, their flashes trailing you down the sidewalk as you hopped into your car and shifted it into gear. They even got into their cars to follow you and James up the mountain trail as your approached the security gates. Only when you passed through the officers did they finally relent, too scared for their own safety to bother with a potentially good story. You could only hear the sound of the gravel beneath your combat boots, scanning the area for any sign of life, but you were only met with silence. 

After quite a day of research and using your charisma to get info, you had managed to contact one of the monster Monarchs; Toriel Dreemurr. She had been pleasant and welcoming over the line, and after your explanation filled with many persistent pleas; she had relented and invited you back to settle this dispute with the skeleton once and for all. She had warned you that he probably wouldn't make an appearance, but your stubborn personality was too pleased to be going back to even care. You had agreed to the time of noon, and as you glanced at your Pokemon watch you realized it was two minutes until. Punctual as always. Letting your boot tap patiently as James began to unload all of the canvases from your car; it wasn't long before two figures had begun to appear over a beaten path. 

Smiling widely you eagerly awaited until they approached; to find Toriel and the young Ambassador Frisk looking cautious yet all around pleased to see you. Wasting no time you approached, offering a handshake to each of them and happily introducing yourself and James. Toriel was warm, welcoming, and her violet eyes were filled with such sweet kindness that you wondered if you were to bite her fur if she would taste like honey. You proceeded to test this theory out by gently taking some of the fur on her paw into your mouth and letting it sit briefly. Your companion was mortified; while Frisk was mutely laughing and the poor Queen simply looked confused. Upon explanation she only laughed loudly before patting your head tenderly and exclaiming how wonderful you were. 

After another fifteen minutes of waiting; you twirled around to see if you could perchance find your mystery man, before concluding he might have chosen to decline your invitation after all. Upon looking at Frisk and expressing this, they lifted their finger in a simple motion before pulling out their cell phone and dialing a number. The voice on the other end was loud; making you very intrigued; especially since Frisk managed to say absolutely nothing before the mystery person agreed they would be over immediately. Clasping the flip phone shut they looked at you, smiling widely and offering a thumbs up. You grinned and nodded before clasping your hands behind yourself and swinging them patiently as James grew bored. 

Suddenly a flash of cyan light appeared, and as the energy of the magic died down you looked in awe to find your mystery monster; and another skeleton joining him. One was pleased, the other quite the opposite. You smiled, suddenly approaching them both and grasping the taller one's hand excitedly," Wowie how'd you do that nifty trick? You should teach me some time!" You were giggling, shaking the taller skeleton's hand pleasantly as he stared down in slight confusion, though mostly excitement. As if being fueled by your own he soon returned your handshake, it ten times more enthusiastic as yours and clearly genuine,"WHY THANK YOU EXCITED HUMAN! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS AND IT WAS NOT I WHO TELEPORTED US HERE BUT MY BROTHER SANS! SANS COME MEET OUR NEW FRIEND." 

"we've met." 

"Indeed! I'm glad I have a name to match the face now. I'm Jade, it's a pleasure meeting you Papyrus!" You exuded back cheerfully, eyes filled with such a bright light that it could blind if it were real. Papyrus only seemed to be even more excited by this response; whereas Sans simply huffed and looked away with what you deemed to be a bored expression despite the grin on his face. He seemed to hold grudges well. You opted to return your expression to the taller skeleton, who after smiling widely at you had subconsciously opened himself to reveal his Soul. Your eyes instantly found it, and your smile only widened as you didn't notice Sans watching you intently. Letting your hand fall from the larger skeleton's you let your expression soften, cheerfully stating," We match! Isn't that neato?" 

"MATCH?-" 

"Match?-" 

Your eyes turned to see that Toriel was also intrigued; curious as to what you meant along with Papyrus as the shorter one stood by uncertain. You could sense the air shift, and looking to Sans patiently you found his pinpricks only focused on you, and although his grin looked as relaxed as ever, you could sense that he was watching what you said. Any normal person would have concluded to choose their words carefully, but you were far from normal. So instead you only let your smile widen and responded excitedly whilst pointing to his chest," Our Souls! They match! I don't know what orange means but it seems like a great color to me!" You were giggling again, watching as Papyrus blinked and Toriel was utterly shocked. Although Sans wasn't making any new expression, you could sense that his aura had shifted to something darker. You spared him only a glance before the elegant boss monster was at your side, paw resting on your shoulder gently and violet eyes filled with many emotions. She seemed to be mostly conflicted. 

"My child, are you able to read Souls?" She asked gently, looking down at you with a tender expression. She was now concerned, uncertain of what your answer might be as you studied her and the others around you as the air suddenly grew tense. In an instant James was beside you, arm linking with yours as his grey eyes looked bravely into Toriel's, though you knew it was all a bluff. His Soul was pulsing and his hand quivered as it touched your pale skin. You patted it absently, knowing he needed your comfort more than anything before simply nodding and smiling back up at her," Yes! I have been able to see them since I was younger; although I certainly didn't know what it was until I was much older!" You nodded your head as if this was common knowledge, and you only watched as Toriel pulled away quietly then turned to the others calmly. Trying to keep her composure she smoothed out her robe, then slowly looked to Papyrus kindly," Papyrus, would you please escort Frisk back to our house. I will begin dinner for them once I am finished here. Perhaps you can entertain them while I'm gone?" 

Her tone was sweet and polite, a warm smile gracing her lips, yet as you studied her expressions; that tingling in your gut began to rumble, pushing forward and setting a heaviness in your stomach that often came when someone was not telling the whole story. You remained quiet, only observing as Papyrus immediately agreed with a "NYEH" much to Frisk's displeasure; and hoisted them on his shoulders before running off quite excitedly. You presumed this was not a new activity for them. As their figures finally seemed to disappear you were faced with two monsters staring at you. One out of cautious curiosity and the other with malice. His grin was gone now, but before he could charge his magic a soft paw rested on his shoulder; causing him to pause as the Queen gave him a warning glare. They didn't need him harassing the same exact human that he had nearly been arrested for harassing previously. 

She slowly turned back your way, before speaking in a more hushed tone and looking at you with earnest," Though that is quite the lovely gift to have Jade, I must politely ask that you refrain from using it on anyone in my kingdom. You must understand that a monster's Soul is something very intimate to us, and for someone to look at it so freely is a major breach in our privacy. It's meant to only be shown to those we truly care about." Her eyes grew sad then, conveying something else you couldn't quite understand before clearing her throat and letting her paw rest gently where her own Soul lay. You refrained from looking at it as requested, vigorously nodding your head and turning to them both," Of course! I apologize! There was no intention of harming anyone! I simply use it as a tool to make sure that who I am speaking to is healthy and happy! As you ask I will stop." Afterwards you saluted, standing with your spine straight and eyes filled with a sudden determination. Smiling at your gesture Toriel waved you away softly, giggling as she continued," There's no need to be so formal. Thank you for taking us into consideration, that is certainly more than what many other humans have done." 

You decided to ignore the glance she gave to your friend and instead turned and grabbed the wrapped canvases from him. Turning back around you met the goat woman's eyes seriously, walking forward and gently setting down two of them before her and stepping away so that she might accept them. As she begun to untie the red ribbon keeping the cloth in place you shuffled your feet and smiled kindly, waiting until she could see what it was before speaking," I came to apologize for causing you guys so much trouble. I had no intention of upsetting Sans- you- with my words. I sure hope you can forgive me and we can be friends!" As you finished you looked to the mentioned skeleton, smiling sweetly as he stared right back at you. Although he was still tense, he seemed to have settled enough to hold back, and instead opted to watch you to see what you might do next. This time you turned on your heel casually, approaching him but opting to keep your hands to your side as you continued to grin at him happily. 

As the silence ticked on between you two you could feel him growing impatient with your staring, so after letting him mentally squirm long enough you tilted your head and blurted," Wanna go out to eat sometime? You didn't seem to be interested in my cookies, so maybe I can treat you to something more to your liking? Think of it as a forgive me lunch! Or uh, dinner if that's what you prefer!" Toriel began to quietly snicker behind you, whereas James was not at all amused and was about to say such when Sans responded," why?" 

"Why not?" 

"…." 

"…." 

"….. k." 

"Okay?" 

"yuh." 

"Great!" 

You continued to stare at each other, your grin matching his obviously fake one, and after another awkward silence you offered your hand to him and your cell phone; seeming to visibly vibrate with excitement," Here's my phone so you can enter your number! Or I can give you mine and you can text me whenever a good time works for you! My schedule is wide open!" He only raised a brow, looking to your extended hand before back at you. After a moment he finally reached out his in return, before letting it tightly grasp yours that caused an obnoxious sound to hit the air. Another awkward silence ensued; before you burst into a bright fit of laughter and pulled away as he seemed to lighten a little more afterwards. The whoopie cushion fell to the ground, and as you picked it up he handed you his cell phone and grumbled," i'll text you when i'm ready to go out." You nodded excitedly, quickly punching in the digits and then adding your name with a smiley face next to it. Once returning it to him you shrugged happily, before waving and beginning to turn away from him. You approached Toriel once again and shook her hand, making sure she was pleased with your gift and informing her that the rest were for a few other local monsters, before wrangling up your companion and leaving in your rickety car. 

As you sped past them you waved eagerly, obviously pleased with the turn of events, and all Sans could do was watch you go and wonder what the hell he had gotten himself into.


	4. The Outing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't be afraid to give me critiques! They're greatly appreciated and help me make this story better for you!

He didn't know how you were going to take him anywhere off of the mountain. A month into them being on the surface and the government was still reluctant to let them go past anything other than their mountain border. It was making him grow restless, because wasn't this what the humans had done by putting them Underground in the first place? It seemed history had a habit of repeating itself. He winced at the thought as he stared down at the phone in his hand, a blank message with your name on the top patiently waiting for him to begin typing. What was he supposed to say to you? _Hey I'm ready for that lunch date_ _that I don't even want to go on. Grillby's sound good?_ He may not like you but he still didn't have it in him to be a dick to you. Whether he liked it or not you were too damn nice, and even though he was furious you had looked at his brother's soul, it was obvious you simply misunderstood and had only meant to help. Even then he didn't appreciate his younger bro's privacy being invaded. 

As the minutes ticked by and no words seemed to be appearing on the screen, he growled to himself and lifted his hands in the air in exasperation. He'd gone through too much to deal with this bullshit. Yet even then he couldn't seem to will himself to simply call your little gathering off. Despite being overly happy and somehow knowing who the fuck he was way before they even came back to the surface, he couldn't help but find you interesting. He wanted to see the way in which you ticked, how that spastic mind of yours worked; because he could tell you were intelligent, you just didn't harness it properly. You were way more focused on the magic and soul side of things. You sometimes reminded him of Papyrus. He willingly shook that thought of his head with a grimace, before looking back down at the phone and finally beginning to type. 

**Sans: uh hey.**  

**Jade :)** **: Hello!**  

He waited to see if you would add anything else such as asking who it was, but after five minutes ticked by he assumed you weren't going to say anything, so he instead opted to try again: 

**Sans: so how goes it?**  

**Jade :)** **: Quite swell! How about yourself?**  

**Sans: uh** **good.**  

**Jade :)** **: That's fantastic!**  

… 

**Sans: do you know who this is?**  

**Jade :)** **: Absolutely not!**  

**Sans: … do you always text random strangers?**  

**Jade :)** **: Only when they text first!**  

This was going nowhere, and he didn't know if he wanted to laugh or throw the damn phone because despite how easy it could be to assume you were messing with him, he had a feeling this was all genuine. Another thing to check off as similar to Papyrus. He shuddered, scratching the back of his skull impatiently before begrudgingly typing: 

**Sans: well this is sans, the guy you wanted to take out to lunch.**  

**Jade :)** **: HELLO! You say I was talking to a stranger when in reality I was talking to you! How silly! Have you figured out what time and what place you wanted to eat at?**  

**Sans: uh … you busy today?**  

**Jade :)** **: Nope! Full schedule open and ready to be filled with many fun lunch plans!**  

**Sans: do you have the day off or something?**  

**Jade :)** **: Always!**  

**Sans: …** **right.** **today** **at 3 good?**  

**Jade :)** **: That sounds lovely! Where shall w** **e be meeting? Or would you like me to come get you since I know monsters can't drive yet.**  

**Sans: no worries** **i** **know a** **shortcut.** **sides** **the place** **i** **wanna go to** **aint** **too far from** **myself.** **ever** **heard of** **g** **rillbys** **?**  

**Jade :)** **: I have not but I bet it will be delicious! I will meet you there at 3 o'clock sharp Sans! Until then ta** **ta** **~**  

 

You were a real piece of work and he didn't know how to deal with you. Deciding that since he had about three hours to kill he would nap, and proceeded to flop himself onto his unkempt mattress and close his eyes. Time could only tell just what this day would entail. 

 

\------------- 

 

He found you standing excitedly by the front of the bar, balancing on the balls of your feet and looking at all the monsters walking by at this time of day. The majority of the city was still under construction, but that didn't stop some monsters from trying to open shop. This included Grillby, who as soon as he was able to began to work on the grill others often came to for a relaxing evening. Sans was one of those regulars, and as he silently approached behind you after blipping at the last minute to the establishment, he waited until you were entirely off guard before finally speaking," what does a skeleton get when he walks into a bar?" You blinked, before turning around to face him cheerfully, eyes sparkling in anticipation as you asked,"What does a skeleton get?" 

 

"a drink and a mop." 

 

You paused, letting his words sink in before finally letting out a loud laugh, grabbing your stomach and wiping a tear away from your eye. If you didn't look so genuine he would assume you were humoring him, but even then he couldn't help but let his perpetual grin widen slightly at your positive response. He could do this, talk to you for an hour and get you to think he had forgiven you and that all was right in the world before getting out of dodge to hide in his room again. Papyrus had insisted that he at least heard you out before dismissing you, and based by his crossed arms and the aggressive stomp of his foot, he wasn't taking no for answer. Not that he could ever say no to him. So here he was, telling the worst jokes to a girl he knew nothing about and wasn't sure he wanted nothing to do with in broad daylight as other monsters bustled by. Soon he led you both into the bar, giving a lazy wave of his hand as the regulars cheerfully greeted him. He offered mere nods before finally coming to his favorite barstool and waiting for you to take your seat next to him. 

Grillby approached not long after, dropping a bottle of ketchup before him and giving you a questioning glance, waiting for an order. You were absolutely enamored; but you remained relatively calm and simply smiled, waving at him and waiting until he asked what you wanted to order. When no sound came from him, you looked to Sans curiously and spoke," Did I somehow offend him? Or do I just start ordering?" He let his eyelights flick back to you before chuckling, looking to his bar friend and lazily flicking his fingers," the usual for us both grillbz. put it on my tab." You turned to him, raising an eyebrow as Grillby crackled something in response, the flame atop his head flaring suddenly before he placed the glass down and walked away. Once he was gone you looked at him, leaning closer and speaking in a more hushed tone," I said I was going to pay. Why do you have a tab? And you still didn't answer my earlier questions." 

 

"he can't talk to humans, only monsters," he finished, choosing to ignore the rest of your words before uncapping the ketchup and taking a long guzzle. He let his peripherals focus on you for a reaction, only to find you doodling absently on a napkin you found somewhere. As soon as he set down the bottle you looked at him, back to the condiment, then back at him before suddenly taking it and drinking it. He actually looked surprised at your actions, watching as you managed to nearly fill your entire mouth before swallowing and placing it back firmly in front of him. A long silence followed as he watched you in astonishment, wondering what exactly you planned to do next. Normally people didn't just grab his ketchup bottle and drink from it; let alone accepting his strange habit. So when you smiled and licked your lips then continued to doodle, he couldn't help but wonder what the fuck just happened. Seeing as you weren't going to explain yourself, he thought he would ask," why'd you do that?" 

You looked up at him suddenly, smiling and speaking matter of factly," Because I wanted to try it of course." You then returned to your inconspicuous doodling. The more he watched you work the more curious he was for you to elaborate. It seemed that wasn't something you often did. He wanted to be annoyed, to growl and roll his eyes and wait for his food so he could scarf it down then go, but he was still undeniably curious and in awe about your mannerisms. Damn the scientist streak in him. Taking a moment to shift closer he rested his jaw in his palm, casually watching you with his trademark lazy grin and speaking," so uh … did ya like it?" 

"Not in the slightest," you chirped back without looking up from the napkin, tongue sticking out of the corner of your mouth as you let the pen scribble away. You seemed to be very focused on your work. Taking a moment to peek over to see what you were doing, he found you drawing a flawless image of Grillby. You managed to capture him in the exact moment where he was irritated at him. Despite the fire elemental not having much of an expression, you managed to convey it so well in your work that it was obvious this man was not pleased with something. He couldn't help but marvel at how even one of your simple drawings could still be such a detailed piece, his mind going back to the picture you had drawn of him. Despite it giving him the creeps, he couldn't help but admit it was very much like himself. Yet you didn't even have him as a reference at the time, so what made him so vivid to you? 

He hadn't noticed that you had finished your work and were now staring at him, until Grillby came by with two orders of burgers and fries. Before he could leave your hand gently touched his flaming one, causing him to freeze and become rigid. You gave him a sweet smile and beckoned for him to come closer, and after a moment of hesitation he finally complied. He listened attentively as you whispered something into the side of his head. After a moment his flame rose, before returning to its normal flicker as he looked back at you silently. His head tilted, as if asking a question, to which you nodded firmly in response. He returned the gesture and moved away to do something. All Sans could think about was what was said, and what your hand had felt like on the bartender's own hand. Was it like Frisk's, calloused and often covered in dirt because they never washed their hands after playing? Or maybe it was smoother, it looked to be finely cleaned and the nails perfectly filed. He found the ring of an eye on your right hand to also be interesting. 

You were looking at him again while he was stuck in his own daze, and upon realizing that he was staring he jolted up, clearing his throat and instead speaking nonchalantly," so uh, what did you need to tell grillbz?" Your smile widened, and with a gentle tap of your lips with your finger you giggled, before placing a fry between them and pushing it in until it disappeared. As you began to chew your eyes closed, savoring the taste before you opened them once again and grinned at him. You took another fry between your fingers as you spoke,"I'm glad you suggested here Sans. His food is wonderful! I'm sure he's a hot commodity around these parts." You continued to eat your fry, your tone so casual that Sans almost didn't recognize the pun. When he did he suddenly laughed, causing you to smile into your food whilst finishing your chewing. 

It wasn't until you guys had quietly finished your food that the flame returned, placing a very long piece of paper in front of you for you to look at. Being extremely confused, Sans attempted to look and see what it was before you began to reach for your purse, asking quietly to Grillby "do you take cash or credit?" then offering him a large sum of green paper to him. He counted it swiftly, before pocketing it and nodding to you and walking away with a little more pep in his step. He didn't realize exactly what was happening until you turned to him, your hand gently placing itself onto his own bony one and smiling sweetly at him,"I'm glad you enjoyed our lunch together Sans. It was quite the treat! I hope you'll let me take you out again sometime." 

Then you were pulling away, leaving him standing there utterly dumbfounded as the door swung closed behind you. Upon looking up at the bar Grillby was standing there, an amused aura radiating off of him as he watched you go before looking back at him. He pushed the paper towards him before grabbing a cup to start cleaning, and when Sans looked at it two things crossed his mind: How the fuck did you have the money to pay off his tab, and why couldn't he stop thinking about how soft your hand was? 


	5. The Confrontation Pt 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! You thought I'd forget huh?? (I didn't. Honest. I just got really sick and threw up everywhere at work today, which in turn made me very sleepy and blegh)
> 
> Anyway, oh my gosh guys! Thank you so much for the kudos and comments, they really mean a lot to me and make me feel like I'm doing a good job. I really love this plot so far, and I hope I can only continue and make things better for you guys!
> 
> Also; violence and minor gore warning for those who are squeamish! (just bleeding from the head, but I want to make sure you guys knew!)
> 
> Enjoy guys, and thanks for the amazing support!

It had been another two months since the monsters reached the surface, and thanks to Frisk's blatant enthusiasm and childlike charms they seemed to be making faster progress than expected. You had continued to try and text Sans, and most of the time he avoided you at all costs. You were very persistent though, and after calling Toriel a few times you had also managed to get Papyrus's phone number, who was more than happy to speak with you. The two of you often went on random adventures around Mountaintown and some of the outskirts of Ebbot; laughing and learning about each other. The monsters were slowly gaining access to the inner cities; and a bill was in process that would allow them to reside in Ebbot should they so wish. Until then you were happy to teach Papyrus anything and everything you knew about the surface, and being the excellent learner he was, he swallowed it all like a sweet drink on a hot summer day. His favorite discovery was all the different ways one could make spaghetti, and pasta in general. 

After one late evening of you two returning to his house nestled along the outskirts of Mountaintown; Papyrus stopped abruptly and turned to you; suddenly seeming very excited. As he wrung his hands together he looked at you with bright eyes, before clearing his non-existant throat and exclaiming," HUMAN! YOU'VE SHOWED ME SO MANY WONDERFUL CULINARY CREATIONS OF PASTA, NOW I BELIEVE I SHOULD REPAY YOU BY INTRODUCING YOU TO MY OWN MASTERPIECE: THE GREAT PAPYRUS'S SPAGHETTI!" Your own grin widened, and after jumping up and down excitedly you grabbed his hand and nodded vigorously. 

"Wowie Pappy! That sounds wonderful! I bet your spaghetti will be the best I've ever tasted!" You mused cheerfully, eager to please and also curious as to how a monster cooked. Would the food be different, or would it taste like any other kind of spaghetti? As you pondered these things you failed to notice the blush rising across his cheeks, it staining a gentle orange into his bones before he finally squeezed your hand in return, puffing his chest in pride,"OF COURSE IT WILL BE! NOTHING CAN SURPASS MY CULINARY PROWESS! LET US GO INSIDE AND I'LL GIVE YOU THE GRAND TOUR OF MY HUMBLE ABODE!" Keeping his hand gripped around yours he hauled you inside, you giggling along the way in amusement to his silly antics. As the door shut behind you two, you were still laughing, making Papyrus join in soon after as he stopped in the living room. 

You looked around, quite pleased with the small and humble place, and expressed such to the tall skeleton, who in turn only puffed his chest out more. Your were laughing again, because everything about this man amused you, and you couldn't help but feel your chest swell in affection for him. He was the younger- er older?- brother you never had! He made you feel confident in everything you did, and in turn you did the same for him; whether it be for his Royal Guard training or simply letting him gush about Mettaton. You two had grown close these past few months, and despite Sans making sure he was never part of it; you secretly hoped that he would want to get to know you better too. He was a mystery your scattered mind wanted to solve, and as each day passed and he continued to ignore your messages, you simply figured he would come when he felt ready. The stars always seemed to align in your favor. 

After a lengthy speech about the layout of the house and how Sans never seemed to pick up his sock ("HE'S SUCH A LAZYBONES. I HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF HIS PET ROCK TOO!"), you finally make your way into the kitchen to watch him cook. After a moment he seemed nervous, wringing his hands together once again before looking up at you and continuing,"HUMAN, I HAVE A PREDICAMENT I'M STUCK WITH!" Tilting your head inquisitively you crossed one leg over the other attentively, resting a fist beneath your chin as you spoke,"Hm, a stuck predicament is never a good one. Have you tried unsticking it?" 

"I HAVE BUT IT SEEMS IT IS FIRMLY GLUED!" 

"That's not a good sign. Perhaps I can offer my assistance," you responded thoughtfully, before standing and approaching so you were craning your head up to look at his expression. His eyelights met yours and he grinned, hands on his hips as he tilted his own skull and continued,"YES! I BELIEVE THIS IS SOMETHING THE JOVIAL JADE CAN ACCOMPLISH!" At the sound of your new title you stiffened, saluting and giving him a very serious expression. He seemed to take this well, for his arms crossed neatly behind his back and he began to pace, looking you up and down as if he were a drill sergeant. Your expression remained rigid the entire time, but inside you were rolling in laughter at this silly situation. One of your favorite things about hanging out with Papyrus was the way he seemed to take everything you did in stride. It was like a breath of fresh air compared to the rest of this pessimistic world. Papyrus was too good for it, and you wanted to make sure you could make him happy however you could! 

"HUMAN, YOU'RE DAYDREAMING AGAIN!" 

You snapped out of your daze and looked up at him, before offering a goofy grin and tilting your head childishly. Suddenly his cheeks were once again orange, and he turned away, grabbing a pot out of the cupboard and placing it on the stove. He began to turn on the heat, and you watched curiously at his side as he plopped dry spaghetti noodles into it. Blinking, you looked back up at his face to find him oddly focused, and before you could really ask he was speaking again without looking at you,"I DON'T KNOW HOW TO POLITELY TELL YOU TO WAIT IN THE LIVING ROOM WHILE I COOK! MY SPAGHETTI HAS A SPECIAL FINESSE THAT MUST BE SOLELY FOCUSED ON. I CANNOT CONCENTRATE WITH YOU WATCHING!" 

 

"So tell me to leave." 

 

"LEAVE?" 

 

"Yes. Tell me to leave." 

 

"BUT I DON'T WANT YOU TO GO." 

 

"Then tell me to stay." 

 

"I CAN'T COOK WITH YOU HERE!" 

 

"Then tell me to leave." 

 

"HUMAN THIS IS ONLY MAKING MY PREDICAMENT STICKIER!" 

 

You laughed brightly, letting your hand rest delicately on his humerus before watching the smoke come up from the pot, a sickening stench of something burning following suit as you stepped away with your hands in the air,"Fear not Great Papyrus! I will make myself eagerly await in the living room for your masterpiece!" With a dramatic wave you swooped away, sprinting into the living space and jumping onto the couch. Once settled in you grabbed the remote, flipping through the channels boredly as you tried to find something entertaining. As soon as a documentary about space came on you immediately stopped. Letting the remote fall to your side, you rested your elbows on your knees with your palms pressed into your cheeks. You had seen this one before, but you loved listening to the man's deep voice and how he elaborated what exactly the sun and stars were made of. It was like a bedtime story that you could listen to every night before falling asleep. You sensed the new form sitting next to you; though refrained from acknowledging it for you were too enthralled in the TV. Not long after the show cut to commercials, a deep bass rumbled next to you," this documentary seems out of this world." 

 

"It's the light of my life." 

 

"does it have you seeing stars?" 

 

"Yes. Along with meteors and the Milky Way." 

 

"what's the milky way?" 

 

You tore your eyes away from the screen to pull out your phone and began to rapidly type into it; before bringing up multiple pictures and selecting one that looked particularly neat. Leaning closer to Sans you brought the phone in front of him and pointed, explaining in detail what the foggy belt was and how it came to be, all while failing to notice the gleam in the skeleton's eyes. He seemed deeply interested, and as he asked more questions you happily supplied them. On in on this went until you were soon talking about Saturn and why it had so many rings, and that it was a tragedy when they demoted Pluto from a planet to a dwarf star. Despite not understanding most of what you were saying Sans was listening intently, soaking all of this information in like a sponge and watching how animated you were about the subject. Before he could ask anymore questions the commercials ended, and suddenly you were no longer focused on him but on the TV once again. He didn't understand why he was disappointed with that. 

Papyrus was calling out loudly to both of you that dinner was ready, and as soon as you flipped off the television you hopped off the couch, running into the kitchen eagerly and using the tile to help you slide along the floor with your socks. When you slipped and fell you laughed loudly despite Papyrus appearing very concerned with your wellbeing. Once all were seated the charred pot was passed around. You couldn't help but note how intensely the younger skeleton brother watched you with bated breath as you took your first bite. You smiled as you chewed, ignoring the crunch and simply taking your time before fully swallowing the morsel. Letting the two of them watch you in silence for another moment, you wiped your mouth with the napkin provided before slowly standing up and walking around the table. You stopped in front of Papyrus, bending down and giving him a warm embrace around his shoulders. His face turned a bright orange, which you failed to see as you patted his battle body and whispered into his ear,"Thank you so much for cooking me dinner." 

You pulled away with a smile, and watched as the poor man began to melt into a series of stutters before insisting that he would have to do it again sometime. You happily agreed, before looking at your watch and realizing it was rolling around 10 o'clock. You looked to Papyrus and explained as such, causing him to blink and suddenly yawn rather loudly. You two hadn't hung out for this long, but based on him being quite the early riser you assumed that he would prefer an earlier bedtime. Slowly standing to his full height he offered you another hug before trudging up the stairs, knowing Sans would be there in a moment to read him a story. As he did this you began to gather up the plates, throwing the uneaten food into the garbage and storing the rest from the pot into their fridge. You then moved on to do the dishes, and as you did so Sans approached your side casually. He eyed you up and down, watching as you worked cheerfully focused, before voicing the question he had been wanting to ask since you hugged his brother,"why'd you lie to him?" 

You abruptly stopped your washing and turned to look at him, eyes suddenly holding a very serious gleam. Shaking the water from your fingers you fully faced him, arms crossed and eyes boring into his eye sockets as you asked in a suddenly clipped tone,"Lie to whom?" Noticing your change in stature Sans suddenly grew defensive, pinpricks shrinking to a much smaller size as he tried gauging your intent. You seemed to be doing the same, he could sense you had many more abilities aside from simply seeing another being's Soul. You were a lot like him in that aspect, and he didn't know if that fact was scary or interesting. Only time would tell. Until then he continued to stare at you patiently, waiting to see if you would speak first or he would have to elaborate. It seemed you wanted him to do the latter. Settling his hands deeper into his pockets he shrugged, glancing up towards the stairs before back to you. 

"why'd you lie to paps?" 

You frowned, processing this information for a moment then taking a deep breath to settle yourself. You needed to remain centered, being angry and unhappy never brought good things. You did this a few more times, before slowly smiling in a much more relaxed state and looking back at him with those pale green eyes. You were pleased that he was talking to you now, but you had hoped it hadn't been under circumstances such as this. You took a moment to clean the final dish and drain out the sink then set the towel aside to dry. Rubbing your wet hands into your jeans you shoved them into your back pockets and looked Sans right in the eye, before taking a deep breath and speaking calmly,"I didn't lie to Pappy. I never would either. He means the world to me just as he means it to you. If you're insinuating that I simply thanked him to humor him then you are mistaken. I did appreciate him making me dinner, it was a very sweet gesture and I would love to come over for dinner again." You were getting upset, not because of Sans being upset at you, but because he had assumed that you were being false in your intentions. 

One thing you never did was lie, and so for someone to try and accuse you of it hurt, especially since you tried so hard to make everyone feel happy and welcomed around you. That was how you wanted to make an impact in this world; by bringing joy to those who didn't always seem to get it. Letting your fingers run through your short hair you watched him quietly, wondering what exactly was running through that brain of his. One minute he seemed relaxed and at ease with you, then the next he was on your case and ready to rip your throat out. It hurt because you only wanted to be his friend, but it seemed he didn't feel the same way. You simply wanted to know why, but would you ever get that answer out of him? Probably not. Your hands had begun to shake as he continued to only stare, before taking a step back and grumbling,"right. i'm just not used to someone actually likin' his cookin' 'side from Undyne.." 

"Oh the food was terrible!" You laughed in a slightly softer tone in hopes that Papyrus wouldn't hear, leaning closer to Sans until your face was nearly inches from his. He seemed to tense from this, yet you chose to ignore this as you continued in a softer tone,"But I'm willing to put up with it to make him happy. Just like you do. You're a wonderful brother Sans and I admire that about you." You remained in your current position, letting your hot breath hit his cheek before slowly pulling away and straightening yourself; face returning to its usual glow. The form of the shorter skeleton seemed to relax once there was distance between you two again, and once he was settled you continued casually,"So, are you going to let me take you out to lunch again?" He visibly jumped at that question, watching you with wider sockets than before. He was quick to recover though, and after a moment of seeming to think he looked back at you once again,"why?" You laughed at the question lightly, resting your hands on your hips before leaning against the counter to smile at him sweetly. 

"You like to ask that question a lot. Is it not obvious as to why?"

 

"it'd be a big help if ya filled me in pal." 

 

"Because I like you," you finished, smiling kindly before breezing past him and back into the living room where you grabbed your jacket and began to put on your boots. As soon as he was standing in the same room you glanced back at him, asking over your shoulder as you began to lace up the second shoe,"Are you free this Saturday? There's a place I would like to take you to that I think you might like." He studied you briefly, eyes going from your face down to your hands expertly working the laces, seeming to be thinking about something in his head. Figuring you weren't going to be getting an answer from him, you simply put on your jacket and proceeded to walk towards the door. Your hand just barely brushed the knob before you found yourself pressed against the wall, a skeletal complexion inches from yours and a brilliant cyan nearly blinding your vision. You could feel the thrumming of magic in his thick bones, and as your breath caught you felt your hands being pressed harder against the wall above your head. 

He was containing the magic, but one wrong move and you knew he would bring it forth in an instant and tear you limb from limb. You had first sensed this when you had first drawn him, the tingling sensation of his magic running along your fingers as you sketched out his finer details. Now it was stronger, more authentic, and you couldn't help but find it to be much more inviting this way. Even when he had meant it to be threatening. Your blood was roaring in your ears and yet you couldn't tear your eyes away from that flame of blue in his right eye that you had been so fascinated with before. As if sensing your joy from this he slammed you harder against the wall, causing your head to bonk against it in a quick motion. Ignoring the dull ache you simply watched him patiently, wondering just what exactly he was looking for in your eyes. 

"what the hell makes you think you know me kid?" 

 

"I never said I did. I merely asked if you were free on Saturday. Why do you not trust me Sans? Have I done something wrong?" 

 

"it's hard to trust someone who draws a perfect picture of yourself before even meetin' ya." 

 

You smiled, watching his face that was still so close as you responded in your soft tone," I can't explain that unfortunately Sans. I only know that it's another gift that I possess, and it often means that whomever or whatever I'm drawing is going to have an impact in my life." Your breathing had become a little more rapid, getting caught up in the intensity of his eyes and feeling rather excited about what was going to happen next. You weren't that twisted to assume he was suddenly going to pin you down while hurting and or raping you, but Sans was this new puzzle that you had yet to find the last piece to. He was so interesting and unique and everything with him was an adventure and it gave you such a high that you didn't think you could stop seeking more from him. Yet even as you were thinking this he was growing more agitated, watching you still with that flame beginning to send crackles of yellow in your direction. 

 

"i could kill you in a single blow. smash you into smithereens and no one would find a trace of evidence." 

 

"It seems you indeed can." 

 

"are you just suicidal or somethin'?" 

 

"If you wanted to kill me you would have quite awhile ago. I am not afraid Sans for I know you would never hurt me." 

 

"you don't fuckin' know shit." 

 

"Why are you so upset? I didn't mean to hurt you... I simply wanted to be your friend." 

 

Suddenly you were thrown against the wall opposite of you, causing the ceiling to slightly crumble with drywall and a few picture frames to fall from the walls. You could feel the blood trickling from your skull as you groggily looked at him, trying to push past the pain to make his form come into focus. He was breathing heavily, eye still glowing and his face now formed into an angry growl. You wouldn't have thought a grin could ever exist on that face looking at him now. A door upstairs slammed open, and heavy footsteps were the only indication of Papyrus making his way down and taking you into his arms. His words were a garbled mess in your mind as the world began to grow fuzzy. You more likely than not had a concussion, and it was going to take a lot of time to get it to fully heal, but that wasn't your main concern right now. Coughing out the dust the damage had caused, you managed to let your rheumy eyes look in the direction of Sans and choking out," Saturday at noon sharp on the corner of 11th and 23rd. Don't... be… late." Your entire world went black in an instant.


	6. The Decison

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya Guys! I am the worst and I am so sorry for neglecting you all! I recently found out that I am expecting a baby! Needless to say these past two weeks have been filled with nausea and exhaustion; and thus writing has been set aside for now. I appreciate all of the happy comments and kudos from you all! I hope you can forgive me and please enjoy these next two chapters!

Papyrus had called Toriel immediately after you went unconscious. He briefly explained what he knew before she had agreed she would be there shortly, and while they waited he was interrogated by his younger brother. He didn't know what had come over him honestly; but the way you had waltzed out of the kitchen like you had owned the place had sent his blood boiling. You acted as if you knew him; but no one did. Not even Paps. He aimed to keep it that way, and yet you continued to pry and prod until he couldn't control himself anymore. Did he feel a little guilty for hurting you? Yes. Would he do it again in a heartbeat? He didn't know. There were too many variables to take into account, and the longer he sat in the chair watching your sleeping form on his couch; the more confused he became. 

You were something else. That was for a fact. He had slammed you against a wall, swore and yelled at you, then proceeded to throw you against the opposing wall. In your dazed stupor, the only thing on your mind had been taking him out on Saturday. What the fuck. Eyelights glanced at your breathing form, looking at your particularly flat chest rise and fall beneath the blanket Papyrus had placed over you. Even in your sleep, most likely messed up in your head somewhere from the injury, you managed to remain happy. He envied that. His front door suddenly opened, and he turned to the side to see a very flustered Toriel striding in. When their eyes locked she frowned, clearly wanting to have some few choice words with him. He would deal with that shit show later. Right now he was focused on watching her white form hover over yours, before a green glow began to form around her paws. 

He had been informed that you would have a scar, but otherwise there wasn't any permanent damage to your actual brain. The anatomy of the human was strange, he would need to do research on it at a later date. Once Toriel deemed you perfectly healthy (or as healthy as she could make you), she let her hard eyes fall upon him, and then beckoned for him to follow her into the kitchen. As they both finally sat down, the boss monster pressed her paws together firmly and fixed him with a rather pointed stare. He waited until she was finally ready to speak, and when he did he had to refrain from rolling his eyes. 

"What would drive you to throw an innocent girl into a wall, Sans?" 

 

"i don't know, lemme think on that one for a bit." 

 

"Although I often appreciate your jokes Sans, now is not the time." 

 

"not in the right mindset at the moment?" 

 

"Please do not push your luck Sans," she hissed out, standing and using her height to make her point clear. He wasn’t intimidated, he never would be, but he respected her enough to simply watch her quietly. Once calm, she cleared her throat, adjusting her robe gently and proceeding to return to her seat. Her eyes were still focused intently on him. When she was sure that he was actually listening, she began to speak in a more hushed tone," Whatever is causing you react in such a negative way, I would suggest you settle it before you end up killing someone. We are hanging in a balance right now as it stands with the human government, and if they were to find out one of us was attacking humans... I'm afraid things will turn very grim." Her eyes softened then, all the fear and concern she had for her people evident in that single look. 

"We cannot have this continue Sans, especially when Jade is simply trying to befriend you... She is a very kind girl, and so far has actually been a major pull in our favor," she continued, giving him a knowing glance as she waited for him to understand what she was trying to convey. It took him a moment, before his usual grin turned into a look of outright disbelief, before suddenly morphing into a hard grimace. She was unfazed, watching his every move as he began to stand, glaring his tiny pinpricks into her eyes as he growled," you can't be serious tori. you want me to hang out with her." 

"That would be the goal. I think it would be good for our image to have another human on our side, and she seems to like you. Not to mention I believe it might benefit you to have someone more... positive in your life," her lips curved into a slightly amused smile; eyes holding their usual gentleness before shifting into a more regal air. She was not budging and he knew it, but stars if he wasn't so _fucking pissed_ that it had to be him. That it had to be her out of everyone. He was done with this conversation. Toriel knew it too and proceeded to stand; looking at him seriously before attempting to touch his shoulder," Your efforts will be honored when we've achieved our goal Sans..." He was gone before her hand could even touch the fabric of his hoodie. 

 

\----------- 

 

You were in a dress today. He hadn't been expecting it. He also hadn't been expecting to find your male friend standing next to you. He was watching your surroundings like a hawk, hand gripping your arm protectively. You were ignoring him, watching the cars roll by and apparently looking for someone. Most likely him. It had been 11:59 am when he had left the house and teleported to the location you had requested. Even when looking at a map he didn't know where you intended on taking him, leaving him twice as grumpy as before. Shoving his hands into his pocket he casually made his approach to you two; not bothering to stop even upon hearing the urgent whispering. 

" He nearly killed you Jade. That isn't something to take lightly," James was saying, eyeing you with those hard grey eyes that you weren't at all fazed by. You were sliding your fingers through your short hair and turning to him, absently replying," He was holding back. I already agreed for you to come to escort me. Your meddling is still up for debate." He groaned in exasperation at your response, eager to say more but stopped short upon noticing Sans. He swallowed, giving the skeleton a hard stare before shifting his gaze away quietly. He was all talk and no bite. Despite this, his dark blue soul made it clear he had the best intentions for his friend. Even if he wanted to actually be with you as more than a friend. You may not have noticed, but Sans caught it a million miles away. Either you were much more naive than he thought or you were pretending to be oblivious for his sake. He assumed the latter. 

You immediately turned to him, smiling widely as if he hadn't given you a concussion three days ago. Your hand found his and it took everything in his power not to send you flying. He chose to politely pull back and return the hand to his pocket. If you were offended you didn't show it, you were now focusing on James who had your arm in a vice grip. With a gentle movement of your fingers you had freed yourself; patting his hand in that condescending way you do. You pulled away from him, nodding in his direction and giving a casual wave," I'll see you later James! Sans and I have a lot to explore today!" James stood behind and watched you walk away with Sans in tow, face hard and the monster wanting so badly to just go home. He never did enjoy following orders. 

Upon entering the large building he received a lot of stares. Monsters leaving the outskirts of the mountain was still unheard of, and so him being so blatantly public often made others uncomfortable. Except you. You never seemed to be uncomfortable. You walked beside him as if walking next to an old friend, and when you approached the woman manning the ticket station you either didn't notice or chose to ignore her frightened stare. You bought tickets for the both of you, and all Sans had to do was quietly follow behind and try to ignore the eyes boring into the back of his head. When he felt comfortable enough to look around; he noticed many large planets hanging from the ceiling. Stars intermingled in between, gleaming with craft glitter and holding no similarity to their actual counterpart. It was gimmicky, but Sans had a thing for that shit. You seemed to as well, for you were grinning like a kid in the candy shop and practically skipping. 

You stopped short of a sign that had many arrows pointing in different directions, turning to him and offering that same excited grin. He studied you briefly before stepping forward to read the captions, finding that they were directions to different exhibits. They all seemed to be related to space. Looking back in your direction he found you waiting expectantly, before turning your delighted expression to the directory and speaking in a softer tone," Pick which one you'd like to see first! I've been here dozens of times already." That was something interesting to remember. Letting his pinpricks move to the sign thoughtfully he mentally hmm'd, before pointing to the sign that read "Journey to Space." 

"That's my favorite," you whispered as if this were a secret, pulling away with a sweet smile and walking ahead. He reluctantly followed, though he was rather curious about what they meant by this journey. What he didn't expect to find was a giant ship in the room, opened for kids and adults alike to walk in and explore. Upon entering there was a TV playing in the ship's wall, explaining the great space race between the US and Russia. He studied the footage of a spaceship flying into space, before the screen flashed to a man hopping on the moon and planting his flag onto the ground. Was that the moon? Did humans actually make it to space?? Before he could hide his disbelieving expression he turned to you, causing you to smile widely and nod as if to confirm. He swore if he was physically capable there would be stars in his eyes. You were laughing in delight at his reaction, before leaning over and pointing to the small rock in the display case," They say that this is an actual piece of the moon. I think they made it look like it and that Neil Armstrong still has the original hidden away." 

"You guys took some of the moon?" He nearly whispered, looking in awe at the piece before looking up at you like a small school child. You seemed amused by his sudden wonder, but instead of chastising him you grew just as excited, nodding your head vigorously. You began to read the description on the plaque, and for once he remained enraptured as he listened to you intently. Once you finished he swallowed, letting the information sink in. Space truly was amazing, and what was even more so was how much research humans had put into it. You seemed just a starstruck, before clamping your hands together and bouncing on the balls of your feet," Let's go see the star room." He blinked, watching you bite your lip like you were about to piss your pants from excitement. What the fuck was the star room? As if to answer his question you grasped his phalanges once again, only this time his irritation was stomped out by his curiosity. 

It didn't take long for you two to reach the room, and upon first impressions it looked like a simple door. He so far was unimpressed, but you were determined; yanking him through the door and closing it behind him. For now there were only a few people, taking seats in the large room as someone stood in the center. Based on their bored expression and little name tag; they seemed to work here. They weren't even watching the kids tussling each other about four feet from their equipment. Apparently they weren't too pleased with their job. You remained unfazed, skipping down one of the aisles and sitting, patting the seat beside you. He was slow to catch up, but as soon as he did you turned to grin at him, crossing your leg to reveal bubblegum pink Converse. They didn't at all match your cotton candy blue dress. Before he could comment on it the lights suddenly shut off, causing the room to envelope into utter darkness. 

Before he could stop himself his hand was grasping for yours, squeezing too tightly for comfort. He hadn't expecting this, and soon his emotions were taking over his rationale. Was he back in the Underground again? He was beginning to smell burnt spaghetti, feeling the dust floating around his feet as a stray red scarf fluttered in the snow. The flash of a knife ahead of him and crimson eyes glimmering deviously. He was crumbling, when suddenly your face was in front of his, inches away but close enough he could clearly see the green of your eyes. Your hands were grasping his cheek bones, expression calm as you simply stared. You were ignoring the flare of blue in his left socket, the way his fingertips were making marks in your arms. You didn't move from your spot, gaze unwavering as you whispered in the softest tone," You're here. You're in Ebbot, in the Science Museum of Astronomy. You are above ground and fine. Breathe." 

"i... i don't have any lungs," he rasped suddenly, though the glow was fading to a dull hum. You smiled at this, laughing softly to yourself before finally removing one hand from his skull. You slowly turned out of his view to point, revealing the largest amount of stars he had ever seen. There had to be millions; no; billions of them littering the dark ceiling. They covered the entire expanse of the room, swirling in creamy galaxies and surrounding rounder planets. Didn't you say that was the Milky Way? He couldn't help remembering that. Soon he was watching Saturn swirl around, its rings wobbling agonizingly slow. You were learning against him gently, whispering softly in his ear whilst gazing up," Did you know Saturn's rings can spin up to 1,100 miles per hour?" He blinked, just realizing his jaw was fully agape. He tilted his head to watch you, the way the stars glimmered in your eyes. You said you had come here dozens of times, and yet you were staring as if you were experiencing a whole new world. Maybe you were. He didn't know what to think of you at this point. He didn't like the feeling of intrigue filling him up at the thought of you.


	7. The Observation

He seemed to be feeling better now, and despite his previous panic attack in the star room you were pleased to find that he was enjoying himself. After the event he had become more open with his questions, and you answered them with ease. You knew that he would come to enjoy this place. His fascination with the documentary you had been watching along with his curiosity had encouraged you to bring him here for your next outing. You had been walking closer to him, getting him to talk a little more and even make a few space puns. You laughed at each one, genuinely enjoying them, and you were leading him to the astrology exhibit when a child bumped straight into Sans. He looked down at the boy with small pinpricks, obviously mildly concerned about the child's reaction. You waited, watching as the child's look of confusion turned into a pleased grin, small hands grabbing for his hood. 

"How'd you get all boney mista?" He chirped, obviously pleased with this discovery of bones. You smiled wider, watching Sans offer a light chuckle, shrugging before waggling his fingers. The boy giggled, attempting to reach out at the fingers before suddenly being snatched away in a pair of large arms. A man with dark eyes glared daggers at Sans, causing you to instinctively stand slightly in front of him should something go wrong. The skeleton's expression went from a genuine smile to his fake one, analyzing the human with tiny pinpricks in anticipation. The boy whined, wanting to be freed but instead was taken by his mother, who scrambled back as if she were about to be struck. You sensed the change in air around Sans, a steady hum forming around him that you could only assume was his magic. You turned to him for a moment, hoping he would remain calm despite the hate they were conveying. The man's soul was green, pulsing in fear and uncertainty. The woman was dark blue, much like James, but she was still uncertain. Their little boy had a bright red heart in the center of his chest. 

"Keep your grubby fingers off of my boy!" Spat the man, standing before his wife and child as if his life depended on it. The pinpricks left Sans's expression, and before things could escalate further you stepped entirely in front of him, smiling sweetly," Excuse me sir. I believe it was your son who approached first. He was simply curious after all. It seems this was just a misunderstanding." The man narrowed his expression at you, gritting his teeth as his fists clenched and unclenched. He was trying to keep his composure, but you could tell he was ready to blow. Before you could stop yourself you were grabbing Sans's hand, turning to meet his expression with your serious one," We need to go." He blinked, the magic flaring higher in irritation, as if ready to argue with you. Before you could respond the man was running to you, hand pulled back to punch. You had pulled yourself and Sans out of harms way just in time, watching the man crumble into one of the displays awkwardly. 

Keeping a firm grip on Sans's hand you began to run, calling back to him as you descended the stairs," I told you we needed to go." He remained silent, only following on his stumpy legs because he didn't seem to have much of a choice. It wasn't until security was making their way past the gathering crowd that he seemed concerned; suddenly yanking you to his chest and shutting his eyes. In an instant your world changed from the bright light of the museum to the warm tone of Grillby's. Your feet landed abruptly on the wood flooring, chest still pressed to the skeleton's as your eyes met his sockets. Your faces were inches from each other, your breath blowing onto his from exertion. He seemed lost, frozen in place by your gaze before pulling away and walking to the bar with ease. After a moment you followed behind him. As you took a spot next to him, you greeted Grillby with a brilliant smile, which he seemed to return beneath the inferno that was his complexion. 

Your companion didn't seem pleased with this, hand opening in the air and instantly being filled with a bottle of ketchup. Without hesitation he downed half of it, slamming the condiment on the bar aggressively. His right hand was cupping his chin, eyes lidded as he seemed to be coping with your previous encounter. You ordered a sweet tea and some fries, paying for yours and Sans's meal along with a generous tip. The flame man stared intently at you for a moment, before turning to make your tea. Sans watched him go with a grimace, before shifting his pinpricks to you and grumbling," where the fuck do you get the money for all this shit?" You placed a napkin on your lap gently, spreading it until it was smooth before casually answering," My parents." You thanked Grillby when he handed you your tea, sipping it delicately before turning to find the skeleton giving you an incredulous expression. 

 

"so you just mooch off of your parents?" 

 

"Of course not." 

 

"but you don't have a job." 

 

"I never said I didn't have a job." 

 

He huffed then, drumming his phalanges on the bar impatiently," alright, so what do you do for work then?" 

 

You smiled, turning to face him to explain," I run the farm while they travel." 

 

"farm?" 

 

"Yes." 

 

"what's a farm?" 

 

By now your fries had come, and Grillby watched you two in amusement as Sans continued to bicker with you. The fact that you were so nonchalant about it all was what the flame found to be the most interesting. From his many years serving Sans, he knew that he often held a facade for most; flashing them that grand smile and cracking jokes for days. Yet whenever he was with you he could see that grin strain, his eyes turn down and form into an almost grimace. You made him _feel_ , made him express himself when no one else could. You weren't even trying. Yet the bartender felt (heh), that this was good for him, and that if he continued to spend time with you it might be better for him. Maybe he was imagining it, but he swore whenever you were around; Sans seemed to be a little more alive. Like you brought the light out of him. Grillby liked seeing his friend like that. He hoped you could one day make him shine.


	8. The Farm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I'm back!!! I have left you all and I'm so sorry. My life has been so busy and filled with so many life changing things that I haven't found the time to come back. I miss Jade and all the antics everyone caused!!
> 
> Let's get these chapters going guys, and I'll be focusing more on writing more frequently. Forgive the errors, these were old chapters previously and I CBA to edit them. Enjoy for now folks, and as always, any feedback is appreciated!

It had taken two weeks for you to convince him. Two weeks of constant texts and calls, not to mention Papyrus shrieking at the aspect of a "farm', to convince him to visit. You had insisted that Papyrus come, and anyone who he might be alright with joining. He personally didn't care, but his little bro wanted Frisk there like their life depended on it. Which turned into Toriel following; and as soon as Papyrus had told Undyne she of course wanted to come along. Alphys was the only one who needed a little additional convincing. So here was everyone; standing in front of a white picket fence that stretched for miles and a path that lead to a big white farmhouse. He didn't want to move, to even think of going in; but Papyrus was blowing past him with Frisk in tow, happily cheering about farms and their wonderous endeavors. Toriel was next, wanting to keep up with her child with a pleasant smile; before Undyne followed suit boisterously. That left him and Alphys, whom began to walk after her girlfriend happily. Son of a bitch.

Taking in a deep breath he studied the figures walking ahead, before shrugging and blipping himself to walk beside Papyrus. He shrieked in surprise, nearly toppling over on Frisk who was silently laughing at the spectacle. With a heh that reverberated deep in his chest he looked ahead to find you walking out the door in jeans and a tee. You waved happily, before cheerfully hopping down the ornate porch steps towards the group. Papyrus ran to you like an excited puppy; scooping you up into a large hug. You laughed, letting him spin you before setting you down. When your hand rested on his femur he blushed, quickly recovering to reintroduce you to Frisk. Undyne didn't wait to be introduced, she instead walked up and offered her finned hand aggressively. You looked up at her and grinned a wide smile, taking her hand happily. After a stare down, and you making some comment he couldn't hear; Undyne cackled before patting your shoulder heartily. You seemed to be making quite the impression with others.

He had finally caught up to the group when you faced Alphys, giving her your million watt smile. When your hand tenderly rested on her shoulder; your eyes were glimmering with kindness. The lizard woman stared at you shyly, not knowing what to expect even as you spoke," It wasn't your fault. You need to forgive yourself." Eyes going wide she trembled, and Undyne was by her side in an instant. She stood protectively next to her love, yellow eye hard as you tilted your head in confusion. It was funny with how charming you were to others that you had no social skills. Popping up next to you he looked to the women calmly, that fake grin present as he turned to you," that isn't something you tell someone when you just met them." You blinked, before looking back to Alphys who at this point looked to be on the verge of tears.

"Oh goodness. I meant no harm. It's just you're so hurt and guilty about it that I figured someone should tell you not to be," you responded, eyebrows scrunched together thoughtfully and lips forming into a frown. Undyne snarled, not at you, but at him, causing an eyebrow bone to raise as she growled," Did you fucking tell her what happened Sans?" His grin only faltered slightly, a small hum forming of his magic in irritation. Almost as if sensing it you stepped closer to him, fingers finding his wrist as you spoke in a softer tone," Sans hasn't told me anything. I apologize for causing these negative emotions; I am unaware of what exactly she is guilty about, but I know that she is. Please understand that he hasn't mentioned anything about either of you." The fish warrior returned her sharp gaze to you, snapping at once," Then how the FUCK do you know she's guilty about anything?"

As a moment of tense silence settled around them, you remained focused on her intense gaze. When he thought someone might break from the tension you sighed, eyes filled with sadness as you answered," I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that. All I know is that I have the ability to... know things." Before much else could be said Toriel was stepping in, placing a tender paw upon your shoulder and speaking up," I understand this must be a touchy subject for you both. I can attest that Jade seems to possess interesting abilities for a human. Though I can also assure you that she means no harm." The Queen's words seemed to placate Undyne more than anything; and after a moment she huffed and looked to the pastures.

"So what is it you do on this "farm" anyway?" She grumbled, holding Alphys close who at the moment seemed to be incapable of speech. You instantly smiled at her question, opening your palms and responding," Plenty! Please! Let me show you guys around! James should be about as well tending to my horses." You began to walk easily, looking behind your shoulder every so often as you headed for the barn. You gave them all a tour of the big space; explaining the concept of collecting hay for the animals and that this was where it kept dry and free of harsh cold during the winter months. You then moved further along to the pastures, pointing to the chickens as you passed and explaining they were used for their eggs. Papyrus seemed incredibly disturbed to find out that eggs came from a chicken's ass (not technically ass, but he didn't understand the concept of reproduction yet). He found it to be pretty hilarious.

Trailing at the back of the group he listened to you go on about these creatures called pigs; and as he did so he got lost in thought. As the group turned the corner to look at the cows a sudden thought came to his mind. Looking around the entire expanse of land; he came to realize that something wasn't right. The farm in the Underground had a specific creature that everyone knew of; yet they were nowhere to be found here. Stuffing his hands deeper into his pockets he caught up to you with ease, tilting his head casually to the right and speaking," so uh, where are the snails?" You tilted your head in return, face full of confused curiosity as you responded," The snails?"

"YES HUMAN JADE! WHERE ARE YOUR SNAILS?"

"You never heard of a snail ranch punk!?!"

"T-They w-were all we h-had in the U-Underground."

Coming to a halt before the final pasture you turned to them both, studying their expectant expressions with your own intrigued one. After a moment you shrugged," I never raised snails. I suppose they'll need to be added to my list!" They all studied her, before laughing aloud and taking turns patting her or holding her close. It seemed she would fit well into their little band of misfits. Sans didn't know how to feel about that. Yet even as you laughed with them and nodded, he couldn't keep his eye sockets off of you. You certainly were a piece of work.

\---

He was still comprehending just what the point of a horse was. He had watched you lead a massive one around with Frisk on its back, who was clapping pleasantly at the new experience. You had offered everyone the chance to take a ride if they wanted to. Papyrus was next, and after much hushed talking you had convinced him to be calm with his approach. Apparently horses were skittish. How? Look how fucking huge the thing is??? Could probably stomp his skull in if he didn't possess magical density. Yet it was worried about them. Whatever, he wasn't going to complain if it made his bro happy. He had mounted rather easily, especially since his chest was up to the thing's shoulder. It took some time to balance him on the seat and to adjust the footholds (you called them stirrups?), but soon he was ready to go and practically vibrating. The horse remained unfazed. Seemed to him it honestly didn't give a fuck.

By the third lap with Papyrus riding Undyne had practically screamed that she would conquer this beast as well. You had to convince her to also be gentle, which took A LOT more effort than it did with Papyrus. But soon Undyne was riding, and then Alphys. As the Royal Scientist was making her third lap, a shadow loomed over his shorter stature. He turned to find Toriel smiling at him, violet eyes filled with such warmth. He grinned at her, offering a lazy wave and waiting for speak. He remembered a time where he might have loved her once. Before the nightmares and the dust clinging to his bones; before red-eyed children filled with LV that destroyed his chance of happiness. He had enjoyed his days where they exchanged jokes with a stone door between them, laughing and having deep conversations all through the night. He knew that she had been lonely then, and if he admitted it to himself; he had been too. But Sans knew that something like that just wasn't meant to be now.

"Why the long face Sans?" Toriel tittered, a delicate paw covering her snout, and he offered her a wink before turning to watch his brother.

"i'd say i'm pretty stable," he mused in response, watching as Undyne cheered her girlfriend on like she was saving the world. He reveled in the sweet chimes of Toriel's laughter, and after a moment her paw found his shoulder. He looked back up at her, pinpricks doing a once over of her before continuing," did i stirrup some laughter there?" She was laughing harder, and in the background he could hear a muted shriek from his brother; causing Jade to turn to him and giggle. Soon he was spouting puns left and right until the Queen was in hysterics, holding her stomach and wiping a tear from her eye. That was what he always enjoyed about joking with her. That genuine smile on her face. When the laughter died down, and they had switched to let someone else ride, she began to speak in a softer tone," How are things going for you regarding our agreement?"

His grin faltered, straining into his signature fake one. Clearing a nonexistent throat he turned to watch the group before them and shrugging his shoulders," hay, i'm not complaining." She smiled, but pressed past her amusement to give him a serious expression. She was back to her dutiful demeanor now, and he wasn't quite sure he liked it as much. She watched as Undyne and Papyrus whooped like cowboys while Frisk was trotting on the beast, before looking back to him with a softer expression," I know you're still upset. I must tell you that you seeing her has seemed to improve things slightly. She's become more willing to advocate for us, and has even discussed joining us on political endeavors."

"don't act like that's cause of me tori, she would have done that regardless," he nearly growled, though managed to keep his tone neutral. He wasn't going to start this talk now; not when Paps was having a good time. Anyone who was going to ruin that was in for a bad time. She sighed, letting her paw run over a floppy ear as her expression grew sad," Sans, even if that's the case; you are making a difference. Having her happy is another step towards our goal of granting Monster's the rights. We can't let our allies slip away. There are so few as is." He snapped suddenly, giving her a harsh glare as a spark of blue flared in his right eye socket," she isn't a tool for you to use tori! we're talking about another living being." His ribs heaved, and despite the outburst he had been calm enough to keep his tone in check. Yet that didn't stop you from approaching, a hand on his shoulder that caused him to shift his pinpricks in your direction.

"Would you like to go for a ride Sans?" You asked softly, eyes bright with kindness despite you obviously creating a diversion. He didn't know when it started, but you had begun to sense when he was growing tense, and each time you would come to his aid to settle him. He wasn't sure how he felt about this new development. Yet before he could give a solid answer Papyrus was practically rocketing around the corral, begging silently with his eyes for him to join. Soon Frisk was joining in, wiggling their form and clapping cheerfully at the thought. Undyne grinned from gill to gill, and Alphys was giggling at the thought of Sans atop a giant horse. After a moment of silence he sighed, grinning his signature grin and shrugging in defeat. Might as well appease them; he needed an excuse to end this conversation anyway. So he looked to the beast, who was eating something from James's palm casually, and he shuffled slightly.

Based on his height, he concluded he could probably climb atop it if he had a step stool or the assistance of his bro, but he figured that was a waste of time. He figured that he would instead take a shortcut. Winking he blipped with a flash of blue, and before anyone could blink he was sitting on top of the draft horse. When looking back on this, Sans thought of many things. The first was that it had been very high up. So high he wondered if this was how Paps felt walking around day to day. The second was that out of all the things that had happened around this horse; the screaming and yelling, the intense suplexing and fake spars; why had it been his teleporting that scared the ever loving shit of this creature? It had moved too fast for him to react properly, and his form was being sent sailing in the air. He had been startled to where he couldn't teleport in time, and thus he prepared to hit the ground hard. But it never came.

He opened his eyes to find your shade of green looking back, his chest pressed to yours. His face was inches from yours, and you looked to be rather bewildered. You were breathing heavily, your elbows propping yourself up as you looked into his pinpricks. As you attempted to regain your breath, he couldn't help but find that there was a tint of pink hidden beneath those freckles. He took this time to study every inch of your complexion; the way your nose was smaller and round, pressed delicately between your eyes like a button. You had long eyelashes that were rather pale, almost blonde instead of the orange-like fire that was your short hair. Your lips were a soft, rose pink, and your teeth found the bottom one with ease to sink into them. It was only when you began to speak did he refocus on your jade green eyes, listening as you whispered breathlessly to him,"Horses don't like shortcuts."

Then just like that, the world came back into view for himself; and he was suddenly being lifted into the air by his brother. As the taller skeleton looked into his eyes, there was a certain expression he couldn't quite read on his face, and before he could ask he was being gently placed back on the ground. The expression was no longer present in Papyrus's expression as he clung to his shoulders, it now laced with concern," ARE YOU ALRIGHT BROTHER?"

It took the older brother a moment to comprehend his question, before giving a slight nod," yeah bro. thanks for helpin' me up. you're the greatest brother a skeleton could have." Papyrus looked as if he didn't entirely believe him, but it soon dispersed into an accepting nod before he promptly stood. Turning away from Sans, the taller skeleton knelt before Jade quietly, tenderly offering a gloved hand and asking in an abnormally hushed toned if you were alright. Before being interrupted, your eyes had been watching Sans. It was only when you heard your friend speak did you turn to him, and nod your head sweetly. You accepted his hand without a second thought, smiling and beginning to dust yourself off. At once James was beside you, grabbing your arms and taking you slightly to the side. The others had also gathered around to make sure you were okay, and frankly he was growing annoyed.

He didn't care that only his brother had checked on him, it was to be expected. He simply felt it was unnecessary for everyone to be doting on your like you were a fragile child. Rolling his pinpricks he casually strolled up to the crowd, speaking in a nonchalant tone," i know i don't look it, but i can assure you i'm all bones. no need to worry about her." Papyrus immediately screeched, displeased with his pun as everyone else laughed. He didn't have much time to look, but he was certain your face had shown relief at his interruption. It was only James who seemed to be displeased. It became more evident when he finally spoke aloud to him," She wouldn't have been at risk of being hurt if you hadn't been so careless." There was no kindness in his tone, and it took all of Sans's willpower to remain calm at the accusation. He chuckled, stuffing his hands in his pockets and retorting swiftly," didn't mean to cause a scene pal. i was assured the horse was supposed to be chill with pretty much anything."

"You were being careless."

"i was being lazy. big difference kid."

"Your  _laziness_  could have gotten Jade seriously hurt."

"because i fell on her? like i said, i'm all bones."

"That's not the point!" He growled, approaching so that they were chest to chest. His breathing was ragged, lips tightly shut as his nostrils flared in rage. There was a deep anger in his steel eyes, and when Sans checked his soul, he could see the turmoil of anger, protectiveness, and jealousy. After a moment he smirked, opening his mouth and blurting before he could think," what's your point then pal? you mad cause i got to be on top of your girl when you can't even hold her hand?"

"Sans!-"

"BROTHER!-"

He immediately sensed James's intent, blipping away in time just as his fist collided with... your outstretched palm? That wasn't what he had been expecting. You were in a stare down with James, whose eyes were wide in surprise, and perhaps a bit of betrayal. When you were certain he was finished you dropped his hand, stepping back and rubbing your wrist tenderly. Obviously you weren't as strong as you let on. But before he could focus too much on that thought, you were speaking in a quiet tone, eyes hurt," James, I expected better from you. You could have killed him with that blow." While your human companion was confused, everyone else was worried, and as Sans watched his sockets slowly went blank. That wasn't information anyone knew. Had you checked his soul as he done yours? Or was it one of those things you just somehow knew? What even was your deal? He would be asking you these questions later. For now he would settle for watching you study James for a moment, before turning and crossing your arms as you faced him. What? What the fuck did he do?

"Come here please Sans," you asked calmly, expression for once serious and stern. It was an expression he didn't think he would ever see on you. Yet he remained frozen where he was, watching you calmly. Like hell he was going to listen to you just because you made a face. You seemed to realize this in the same moment, and with an exasperated sigh you grasped James's hand and walked over to him. Stopping a few feet away your arms once again crossed, face still devoid of its usual bubbly cheer," I think you owe both James and me an apology." He blinked, before laughing heartily, wiping his eye as he continued watching you," that's a good one kid. tell me another." You weren't smiling or laughing, only staring before responding curtly," I'm serious Sans. You were very rude to James and myself with your insinuating comments. That being said, James owes you an apology as well."

"What now?" James blurted from behind you, and Sans would have snickered if it hadn't been the glare you shot at him. Oh. That was another interesting revelation. After a moment you cleared your throat, stepping back so you could look at both of them seriously," You both acted out of line. So I'm asking that you apologize for your behavior and shake hands." After a moment of silence between everyone, Frisk was soon at your side and nodding in agreement. They made a motion of shaking hands, before pointing at the two men sternly. The inner monologue of the child entered his mind and he felt his mouth twitch, ready to say no when Toriel was suddenly on the scene. Her expression was calm, maybe even a touch of concern in the corner of her eyes; but Sans knew better. She was pissed and was doing her best to hide it.

"I agree with Miss Jade, though it might seem as nothing serious for you James, your punch could have seriously harmed Sans here. Our wellbeing is based off of our soul, and when someone whose soul is stronger than ours has the intent to harm one of us; the results can be very dire. Perhaps resulting in death depending on the monster," her eyes flickered to Sans for only a moment, not enough for a normal person to notice. But you did. You always noticed everything. Yet you remained quiet, nodding in agreement with the Queen before looking at the two of them quietly. Frisk was also nodding seriously, before displaying their best puppy-dog eyes in hopes of getting them both to apologize. If someone had to ability to sway them, it would be Frisk. They had a certain charisma that wooed anyone into liking and following them. That's how they managed to free the Underground. This time anyway. He looked down at the ground at this thought, waiting for something different to distract him. Stars did he need a distraction now. He finally got one from a hand jutting into his vision, and he looked up to find grey eyes meeting his pinpricks.

"I apologize Sans. It wasn't my intention to seriously harm you," James said, looking serious as he stood a near foot above the skeleton. It took the monster a moment to respond, before returning his handshake casually. The loud noise of the whoopee cushion wasn't a surprise to anyone but James, and as laughter erupted from the group; Papyrus ready to scold his older brother and Alphys blushing; Sans let his grin widen as he replied," no hard feelings pal."


	9. The Omen

James was quietly eating dinner at the table later that evening with his parents. The only sound came from the gentle clinking of cutlery as everyone remained strictly focused on their meal. It was only when a pause came from the head of the table did the younger man look up, meeting dark brown eyes filled with seriousness. Resting his own utensils to the side he patiently waited for his father to express what was on his mind. If he was taking a moment to speak at the dinner table, it meant he wanted to talk of something important. Yet the man took his time, gently cleaning his mouth with a napkin and taking a slow sip of water to cleanse his mouth. Once the glass was set down the man was ever attentive to his son," I heard that your friend Jade had invited monsters over to her farm. Is this correct?" The man had eyes everywhere it seemed, and even though James never liked the constant feeling of being watched, there wasn't much that could be done about it. He didn't hesitate in answering, because doing so meant only negative consequences," That would be correct, Sir." The latter man studied him for a moment, letting out a noise of contemplation before resting his napkin on his dinner plate.

"I see. Wasn't Jade the same person whom you claimed had a vision about them coming to the surface?"

"That would also be correct, Sir," he responded automatically. Where was he going with this? As their housekeeper quickly came by to clear his father's and mother's plates, the man remained thoughtful. A glass of scotch was quickly placed before him, and he sipped it delicately, letting the bitterness settle on his tongue before facing James head on once more," It's interesting really. We all thought she was a loon, and yet here she knew about the existence of an entire race months before anyone else did. Don't you find that awfully peculiar son?" The condescending tone he had brought forth at the mention of you made him internally cringe. Yes, you were eccentric, and half of your ideas were farfetched at best. But you also had such a genuine kindness and compassion that he couldn't help but be drawn to you. Your smile had always been contagious, even when you were laughing at him. He could never be angry with you. You were his kryptonite and he sometimes thought you knew it. He hated how much he had fallen in love with you. He had hesitated for too long, because his father was clearing his throat and leaning forward with the intent to make a point.

"I don't think it's a coincidence James."

That made him stop short, looking back into those dark eyes in shock. He had always seen his father as a logical and simplistic man. It was true he was a scientist, constantly striving to better the world with his cunning research and breakthrough discoveries. But he had never pegged him to be the kind to delve into conspiracy. Yet the conviction in his tone made it quite clear that there was something brewing in that brilliant mind of his. He was beginning to feel ill. Taking a moment to let those words sink in, the man abruptly stood, making his way to the side of his table and running a gloved finger along the wood. Soon James was looking up and to his left at that figure, grey eyes filled with concern at this action. After a moment, the same gloved hand came down upon his shoulder; a sudden glint evident in his father's eyes. He was not taking no for an answer. James could only wish to be free from his gaze as he leaned forward and began to speak softly," I have a task set out for you my son... If all goes well; you will be a legend among the science community."

\---------

You had trouble sleeping that night. You had managed to make a mess of your sheets as you lay haphazardly across the bed restlessly. Your chest hurt. Not physically, but emotionally; and for it to remain this persistently meant that something wasn't right. Your eyes wandered to the night sky, glancing at the stars that littered the inky black that you'd come to adore. Half tempted to get out your telescope you began to move, only to take pause as your eyes fell upon an empty canvas. You knew then what you needed to do. Standing abruptly in only a tank and loose pajama shorts; your hands found the pencil with ease as you began to draw.

\---------

He had been surprised to find a text message from you so early in the morning. The sun was barely peeking past the horizon, birds chirping noisily by his window as he marveled at the colors. He would never grow bored of the view. It helped relieve the paranoia of starting all over again, to find himself beneath a leaky ceiling with a boisterous brother banging on his door. A loud banging brought him from his stupor, Papyrus yelling a cheerful greeting behind the wood before stomping downstairs. He would forever be a morning person; while Sans would remain an utter insomniac. Too afraid of nightmares to actually attempt sleep, he had passed the time by looking at his ceiling and counting backwards from one billion. He thought he got to seven thousand before he grew distracted. It didn't matter now, and as he stretched muscles he didn't have his hand found his phone; clicking it open to finally read your text:

**Jade :) : Would you care to join me for tea this morning? There are some things I'd like to discuss with you!**

Normally he'd tell you to fuck off; but you being up  _this_  early (you were a morning person, but not quite to Papyrus level), led him to believe that something was amiss. Being the naturally paranoid and overreactive skeleton he was; he opted to simply show up at your house as his answer. He had followed the link to your soul to your room, finding you leaning over yourself quietly in the morning light. The golden glow cast your shadow across the room in a way that came off as serene. Yet seeing your hands grasping behind your neck tightly, and your eyes heavily trained to the floor came off as something sad. He had seen that look before when staring in the mirror. Clearing his throat, he wasn't surprised to find no response other than your eyes shifting to study him. He noticed the dark circles immediately, and for some reason thought that they didn't quite suit you. Dammit brain, stop bringing up random thoughts.

You abruptly stood, arching your back in a stretch before walking past him as if he weren't there. This calm silence was unbefitting of you. Another think to chalk up to things not being right. He wasted no time in catching up, waiting outside your kitchen to watch you set a kettle on the stove. You were methodical in your movements, silent and precise as you moved to grab a collection of tea bags from the cupboard. You set them on the counter and turned to him, offering a calm smile as you finally spoke," What is your preferred flavor? I must say I've grown quite fond of your golden flower tea myself. Yet I believe I am in need of the energizing properties of black tea today." So he had been correct to assume you hadn't slept at all last night. Flicking his eyelights from you to the bags, it took him a moment to finally answer with," black is fine kid." You seemed pleased with his sudden choice of endearment, making him realize he didn't often give you any nicknames. Not since the first encounter. He hadn't seen a need to play nice with you when you often saw right through him.

"Of course. A wise decision for those who are not early risers," there was subdued amusement in your tone, and it made him curious to know just what exactly ripped the sunshine from you. Normally it was hard to shield himself from your energy, but now he found himself beating it with his own. A feat he didn't think he could ever accomplish. Yet as you were pouring two cups of steaming water he couldn't help but grow more and more anxious, surprisingly beginning to lose patience with you. He found that was something that happened often, and even now he was straining. When the cups were placed on the table with bags steeping, your eyes met with his and at once you got right to his concern," Please sit, and I will explain. I am always more refreshed after some tea." Without really thinking of it he sat across from you, watching as you brought the cup to your nose and took a tender sniff. You were probably one of those weird tea fanatics like Asgore. Snorting mentally to himself he took a sip of his tea, to find it to be slightly sweeter than most black teas.

You noticed, smiling and following with your own tentative sip before placing your bag on an empty plate," There's vanilla in it. I don't mind a touch of bitter, but I do need something to take the edge off." Your eyes failed to hold the mirth they usually did when you were talking. He was growing more and more concerned by the second, but before he could finally voice his worries you were setting your tea aside and leveling him with a serious stare. What felt like hours but was merely a few seconds, you finally began to speak," I believe that I am in danger." Well that wasn't something he thought he'd hear you ever say. Yet you were, and your expression proved you really weren't joking. The biggest question that came to mind was why the fuck you decided to tell him first. You seemed to sense this as well, studying him with your beautiful eyes and continuing," I mention this to you first because it seems that you are the most... aware of things. You have impeccable perception, and I know that it would be you out of anyone that would believe what I have to say."

"and what exactly makes you think that?" He countered immediately, because he hated when you pinned him so accurately as you always did. You only smiled, nursing your tea tenderly before sighing softly," I for now will call it a hunch Sans. Since you seem to trust those more than my opinions." God dammit you were good, and he fucking hated it. He wanted to be mad but his time around you had taught him, that when you felt something wasn't right; you were usually correct. Drawing of him aside, the incident at the science museum, the way you had blocked James's punch that day, and the occasional request to go somewhere different than what you had Papyrus had planned. It often lead to the previous place having been demolished or vandalized by monster protestors. Despite his reservations against you, he was always grateful that you looked out for his little bro. So when you looked at him with such certainty in your eyes, he knew whatever you were going to say was probably going to be accurate.

"k, so what's the game plan kid? you didn't bring me here for a tea party," he rumbled, causing you to take a moment and ponder his words. It wasn't too much of a pause, yet when you spoke it seemed you were choosing your words carefully," I believe that we must lessen our outings. This extends to Papyrus and friends, simply because I want to make certain this danger doesn't pertain to my association with you." He blinked, studying you for a moment and asking before he could stop himself," you wanna stop hangin' out?" You nodded certainly, finishing your tea and taking his empty cup with your own. Once the table was cleared and table cleared, you walked past him and into the living room. He followed automatically, not really focusing on much except trying to figure out your reasoning. Was it because you were looking out for him and his friends, or simply because you were looking for excuses to rid yourself of them. You didn't seem to be the type to do such things, but he had seen many people do much worse things for their own preservation. Taking a set beside you he watched you pull out another canvas.

"It won't be for long, just enough for me to properly gauge my mind's wariness. Think of it as a science experiment," you mused, brushing your fingers along the edge of your work yet still not revealing it to him. While he didn't mind the aspect of not seeing you, he didn't know how Paps would feel about it. Or Toriel, especially with her sudden push towards making amends to you in some way. Your eyes were watching him again, and when he met them you began to speak again," I wanted to show this to you, but you must promise that you will speak of this to no one. Even Toriel. I feel that this is something that even I am having trouble understanding, and it would be too much trouble to try and make others comprehend." After a moment you flipped the canvas over, and he honestly wasn't certain as to what he was looking at. It was a human, bare naked to the world and arching their back as another hand was pressed firmly to their throat. The second hand of the stranger was curled at the fingers, and motioning as if to pull something. The motion was familiar to him, but he didn't know how it would be to you; until his eyes landed on the sketched out heart.

Obviously a soul, it seemed that whomever this mystery person was, their soul was being forced from their chest by someone else. That wasn't fucking creepy at all. Looking at you he found your eyes to be dark, sad and hurt as you studied your work. You let your fingers trail at the heart lovingly, as you did you spoke softly," This Sans, is me. My concern is I do not know who the other person is, but something is telling me that it isn't someone good." Oh. That changed a lot of things. His face was suddenly turning bright blue, because even though it didn't cross his mind before; it did now. He was looking at a naked sketch of yourself with your soul being pulled out. Did you not sense the implications that held to a monster? You noticed his expression and blinked, before setting the sketch aside and murmuring," I suppose even seeing a sketch of a soul is very intimate for monsters. I apologize for offending you."

"is that sketch accurate?" Was the first thing to leave his teeth, and only when it was out did he realize what the fuck he was asking. His faced turned a deeper blue, glowing so brightly that your skin began to shine from the force. He caught once sight of your surprised expression and he was gone. Dead. No return for Sans the Skeleton who couldn't keep his mouth shut. Your cheeks were now pink, and after a moment you stuttered out," I-I beg your pardon?" He stood then, facing away from you as his palm was outstretched in your direction," you know what, forget i asked that. seriously. let that question erase from your mind entirely."

Your silence was enough answer for him, and it was only when he prepared to leave did he find your hand grasping his wrist. Sharply turning on his heel he found your eyes wide, a brief expression of panic across your features as you began to whisper," Please Sans. Don't tell anyone of this, I would like this to remain a secret until I know more. It's for everyone's safety. You understand, don't you?" And for some reason that struck a chord with him. Because whether or not he agreed you were right. He did understand. He had more secrets than anyone else, and most were kept for the safety of others. Sometimes it was more comforting to have them than to not. His brief nod was his only answer; before he was dissappearing into the void to rid himself of a strange sense of foreboding.


End file.
